UIC Global Learning Community

EEUU! EEUU! EEUU! The US has now become the second-largest Spanish-speaking nation in the world. Many of the students of the GLC are fluent speakers of Spanish, either as a native language or through the long process of surviving classes in school.

Those of you who have completed the basic language sequence -- or tested out of it -- should check with the GLC Coordinator. It is possible to take a course in Spanish or other languages at the 200 level or above and receive credit toward the GLC Certificate. If you've made it this far, you should really consider taking those skills to the next level!

US now has more Spanish speakers than Spain – only Mexico has more US has 41 million native speakers plus 11 million who are bilingual with highest concentrations in New Mexico, California, Texas and Arizona

COLD WAR/NEW PEACE: This semester, a central theme in the GLC Seminar will be "Cold Wars: Past and Present." As the US re-establishes diplomatic ties with Cuba, our attention in the seminar will turn to finding out about this history and the ways it continues to shape the world we live in today.

US embassy in Cuba formally reopens: 'A day for pushing aside old barriers' John Kerry reopens embassy and proclaims ‘Cuba’s future is fro Cubans’ as American flag is raised over building for the first time in more than half a century

POPE ENDS TOUR of South America with criticism of imperialism and government corruption and calls on governments and people to care for the poor.

http://america.aljazeera.com/watch/shows/live-news/2015/7/pope-francis-ends-his-south-american-trip-in-paraguay.html

Pope Francis ends his South American trip in Paraguay | Al Jazeera America With one million people attending his final Mass, the Pope offered solace to one of the poorest South American countries

FIRST STEP SESSIONS: For most of us, there is no greater learning experience than learning in another country. Along these lines, there will be no time in your life when it will be easier than when you are in college.

At UIC, the first step is a First Step Session in the UIC Study Abroad Office. Find out more. Be more.

First Steps | Study Abroad Office First Step advising sessions are mandatory for all study abroad applicants as a starting point for the application process. A 20 minute First Step PowerPoint presentation will review how to select the best program for your needs, and review the application, advising, course approval and registration…

VISITING GROWING POWER FARM: One of the most exciting aspects of the 2014 GLC Seminar for many students last year, was our combination of traditional readings and activities beyond the class. As Seminar student Mimi Herrera writes, after reading the work of food activist Raj Patel, "I got a chance to visit an urban farm, and from there, my interest in urban farms grew enormously." She goes on to report how this helped her to build connections among local food activists and even helped her to decide on a major. "Seeing people accomplish great things and help so much made me thing 'why not me?!'"

As part of a unit on Food Sovereignty, students of the GLC Seminar went to the Growing Power Farm.

LIVING with WALLS: A meaningful learning unit in the Fall 2014 GLC Seminar was "Living with Walls," which began with a history lesson on the Berlin Wall -- in the 25th Anniversary of its Fall in 1989 -- that served as a context for understanding better the US Border Fence and problems faced by undocumented people in the US. Our readings in class culminated with a lunch-time event featuring a conversation between Professor Imke Meyer, an expert on German culture who grew up in a divided Germany, and José Ángel N., a UIC alumnus and author of Illegal: Reflections of an Undocumented Immigrant (2014).

As one of UIC’s events commemorating the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the UIC Global Learning Community is hosting a conversation between Professor Imke Meyer, an expert on German culture who grew up in a divided Germany, and José Ángel N., a UIC alumnus and author of Illegal: Reflections of an Undocumented Immigrant (2014).

All photographs by GLC photographer Estevan Cruz.